Mariann Pietila

Mariann Pietila, 80, of Wauwatosa, WI passed away on Sunday, December 11, 2022 at Froedtert Hospital with her loving family by her side.

Mariann was born on June 19, 1942 in Hancock, Michigan, where she lived for a few years before her family moved to Houghton, Michigan. The daughter of Anselm and Ida (Aho) Oja, Mariann graduated from Ewen High School in 1961. She grew up on the family farm which was without electricity for her first two years. In spite of her impoverished upbringing, Mariann was always cheerful as her parents filled their family home with loving support. She spoke fondly of her upbringing and Mariann had a way of focusing on the positives and the things she had rather than the things she didn’t during her childhood. Mariann was also very proud of her Finnish Heritage. After her schooling, Mariann worked as an executive secretary for B&H Furniture Company of Wauwatosa for the majority of her working career and she enjoyed her work very much. God blessed Mariann with four loving children, Greg, Mark, Scott and Shelly and she loved her children dearly. Family was the most important thing in her life and Mariann made sure her family knew they were loved and cared for. For leisure, Mariann enjoyed a good game of Scrabble, cheering for the Green Bay Packers (especially in the Brett Favre and Bart Starr years), loved to laugh and joke and was a talented baker and seamstress. Pasties and fried bread with sugar were two of her cooking specialties. She shared her love of classic movies with her children and grandchildren. Mariann will be remembered for her kindness, her sense of humor, and her optimism. She will be dearly missed by those she leaves behind.

She is survived by: her children, Greg (Sherry) Pietila of Hartford, WI, Scott (Sandy) Pietila of Neenah, WI, and Shelly (Anthony) Boyd of Wauwatosa, WI; her dear grandchildren, Lauren (Dan) Agostinacchio of Evanston, IL, Haley Pietila of Milwaukee, WI, Mark (Nichole) Pietila, Jr. of Mukwonago, WI, Michael Pietila of Watertown, WI, Matthew Pietila of West Bend, WI, Brendan Pietila of Sussex, WI, Jared Pietila of Sussex, WI, Malik Boyd of Wauwatosa, WI and Enix Boyd of Wauwatosa, WI; her great-grandchildren, Henry, Kyler, Tessa, and Lacy; and her sister, Norma Miller of Ontonagon, MI. She is also survived by her nieces, nephews, other relatives, and her loving friends.

She is preceded in death by her parents, her dear son, Mark Pietila, the father of her children, Kenneth Pietila, and her siblings, Eileen Bavin and Elvi Kangas.

Memorials in Mariann’s honor may be made to the Waukesha Food Bank.

A Funeral Service to honor Mariann’s life will be held at 12:00 Noon on Wednesday, December 21, 2022 at the Prairie Home Cemetery Chapel of Waukesha, WI (605 S. Prairie Ave, Waukesha, 53186). Visitation will take place at the chapel from 11:00AM until the time of service. Mariann will be laid to rest next to her son in Prairie Home Cemetery immediately following the service.

Gibson Family Funeral Homes of Eagle and Palmyra, WI is serving the family. To place an online condolence, please visit gibsonfuneral.com

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